The invention concerns a method and a continuous casting and rolling plant for semi-endless or endless rolling by casting a metal strand, especially a steel strand, which is cut to length as required after solidification, wherein the cut lengths of cast strand are fed into a roller hearth furnace for heating and homogenizing at rolling temperature and are then fed at rolling temperature into a rolling mill to be rolled out, and wherein the continuous casting is continued without interruption during the rolling operation.
A process of this type is described in EP 0 264 459 B1. In this method, the cut lengths of cast strand are stored in the roller hearth furnace with cross transport. The cut lengths of cast strand are stored for a period of time that is several times, e.g., four times, their casting time. Furthermore, the process is practiced in such a way that the rolling of each individual cut length of cast strand is carried out in a period of time that is only a fraction, e.g., one fifth, of its casting time and in such a way that the rolling is carried out discontinuously and the rolling operation is conducted with an interruption for a period of time that corresponds to the difference between a casting time and a rolling operation. This process operates strictly according to the continuous casting and is not coordinated with the rolling process.